Dares Always End in Disaster
by WhyAreMyShipsSinking
Summary: After a game of Truth or Dare ends with a spur-of-the-moment lie which would, for better or for worst, set off a great chain of events, a very embarrassed Marinette is paid a visit from a particularly intrigued cat... A mix of Marichat and Adrienette, with a hint of Alya/Nino (DJ-WIFI). Marichat fake dating AU! Warning: Censored swearing.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys! I'm back with another Miraculous Ladybug fanfic! Yay! I'm estimating this one to be about 2 - 3 chapters in total, so overall not that long. Also sorry if the chapters are kinda short, this fic is really just for fun so I don't have a intricate plot laid out or anything, just some fluff for all you Adrienette/Marichat shippers out there. Enjoy!**

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It was a late Friday night, breeze cool with the mid-autumn temperature as the trees' leaves turned from green to an array of dazzling golds, deep reds, and everything in between, when Marinette found herself in a rather extreme pickle. Now, the world wasn't ending, nor was there an akuma attack, but her problem was pretty high up there. The poor girl had dug herself in a hole so huge that she wasn't even sure in the Earth was deep enough to compensate for her mistakes. Why was she such a messy situation? Good question. Well, it all started with a simple game of truth or dare…

' _How did I get caught up in this mess?'_ Marinette thought glumly from her place on the carpeted floor of Alya's bedroom, a plush ladybug-shaped pillow clutched tightly to her chest. Currently, just about half of her classmates were sprawled in a sort of loose circle in Alya's room, all staring at her intently. Why? Because Alya decided it would be a great idea to through a little slumber party of sorts, which of course lead to a game of truth or dare, and it was her turn _._ Which would have been fine, if it didn't feel like _everyone present_ was trying to gang up on her.

Marinette gulped. "Truth."

Alix smiled wickedly, spiky pink hair reminding her more of demonic horns than anything else in that moment. "Is it true that you sent out a valentine to someone earlier this year?"

A quick darting glance at Adrien was enough of an answer for any of the keen-eyed shipping-monster females, but still she replied meekly. "Yes."

She was greeted with shark smiles from all the girls, and even some of the more aware boys, that told her that they knew who, exactly, that unsigned letter had been delivered to. Damn it – she knew she should have just stayed home. Alya's sleepovers were always held with the purpose of getting some two people together, and tonight it seemed she and Adrien were the targets (not that the somewhat dense blond had seemed to notice, which was completely fine in the shy girl's opinion. The less he knew right now the better).

"Alright, my turn," Marinette announced, deciding that if she was going to get teased and picked on for the whole night, then she would at least get a little bit of fun out of this while she could. "Alya, truth or dare?"

"Dare," the said girl replied with breezy confidence, not a hint of panic or scepticism in her voice as she took a leisurely sip from her soda. Just what she was counting on.

The raven-haired girl smiled innocently. "I dare you to kiss Nino."

A sudden spit-take from her right let her know that her friend was _not_ expecting that little challenge to fall from her lips. Marinette attempted to hide a snicker, but ultimately failed at the sight of a red and gaping Nino and a very and frazzled Alya. The dared girl shot her a mix of a harsh glare and mortified expression that said in big bold letters **'You are so** _ **dead!'**_ , accompanied with a hint of **'Are you freaking kidding me girl?!'**.

Marinette only gave her a sickly-sweet smile and oh-so innocent eyes that hid deceit and wicked delight.

With one last withering scowl to her friend that promised hardcore payback, Alya made her way over to a failing-to-keep-his-cool Nino, and promptly kissed him smack on the lips. The rest of the party cheered at the sight, and after a few seconds Alya pulled away and scurried back to Marinette's side in an embarrassed rush, leaving a very frazzled Nino stuttering and staring after her with the most dumbfounded expression.

Mari snickered. "Gosh Alya, I never did specify _were_ you were supposed to kiss him. A little eager, are we?"

The auburn-haired girl turned a horrified and murderous glare at her best friend, though the look was ruined by her blazing cheeks and only proved to make Marinette laugh harder.

"You little –"

"Don't worry Alya," the blue-eyed girl interrupted, still giggling at her friend's expense, "you'll thank me later."

"Oh yeah? Then you'll thank _me_ later. Marinette, truth or dare?"

The said girl's victory suddenly seemed not at all worth whatever Alya suddenly had in mind for an undoubtable payback.

"Hey, I just had a go before you! You can't ask me now, it's against the rules," Marinette defended somewhat desperately, confidence evaporating with the more eyes that turned her way, as if her friends could sense the revengeful dare or question that was soon to follow and were determined not to miss it.

"Too bad, truth or dare?!"

The fire blazing in Alya's eyes told Marinette that she was _not_ getting out of this one.

She gulped. "Truth…" she relented uneasily, finally deciding that a dare would give her revenge-seeking friend far too much power. She immediately regretted her choice, however, when an evil grin crossed Alya's lips, and in that moment, as dread pooled in her stomach, she knew that she had just announced her own death sentence.

"Who do you have a crush on?"

Silence.

"I, um, he's... he's... CH-CHAT NOIR!"

And that's when everything went to sh*t.

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 **AN: I hope you guys enjoyed! Also sorry if someone's already done this idea, it just came to mind and was too cute to pass up writing. I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

The room was silent. Completely and utterly silent. The shock in the air was so intense you could basically taste it. Everyone was staring in complete disbelief, eyes wide and mouths hanging open as they tried to compute what on Earth had just happened. And Marinette was _mortified._

Not only had she just blurted out to about half of her classmates that she had a crush on Chat Noir (which she _totally_ didn't, by the way), there was no way she could go back on her word because if she did, then she would have to confess who her _actual_ crush was, who just so happened to be sitting _right across from her._ Plus, she would look like a total liar! Which she wasn't, she was just so completely embarrassed and nervous and… oh god, _what had she done?!_

Just as she was about to pass out from the sudden pressure and the blood rushing to her head (most notably her cheeks), Rose let out a sudden delighted squeal.

"Oh my gosh, Marinette is in love with a superhero! That's so romantic!" she swooned, drawing away most of the attention away from the paling noirette and onto herself (though Adrien refused to move his shocked gaze from her form, which made her discomfort spike).

Rose shuffled closer to Marinette, eyes shining as she asked, "How did you two meet? Was it love at first sight? Does he visit you, or," cue deafening squeal, "Are you guys dating?!"

Now, in normal circumstances, Marinette was would have been completely overwhelmed by all the questions thrown at her by the over-excited blond – would have, had she not already reached the point of no return and was running blindly on autopilot. Her brain refused to function for a moment, far too busy berating and crying and panicking with itself, before her lips moved of their own accord to give out robotic and dazed answers.

"We, um, he saved me once and I just eh… yeah?" she stuttered out mindlessly, some small part of her brain that was still working faintly hoping that her answer (if you could call it that) was decipherable amongst the stuttering and mumbling.

Another ear-splitting screech of excitement gave her answer. "YOU _ARE_ DATING?!"

That snapped her out of her out of it. "Wait, _what,_ no! I just –"

But her defying pleas fell on deaf ears. There was a sudden uproar from her classmates all they all swarmed her, yelling questions and demanding why she had never told them until now, Alya most of all.

Marinette's head was spinning with all the shouting and overbearing attention fixed solely on her, her mind joining the chaos with shouts of panicked thoughts and commands as her eyes darted back and forth amongst the war-zone of a bedroom. Everything was a blur, voices blended into one as everything suddenly seemed far too loud and bright to bare. Her friends seemed much more like rabid reporters trying to get the next – oh god, _reporters._ If this was to ever get out, she'd be all over the news! Not to mention that it could potentially be linked back to her identity as Ladybug and get her exposed! No. It wouldn't come to that. All she had to do is get a grip on herself, swallow her pride, and tell everyone this was all just a big misunderstanding. Right. She could do that. She could –

She passed out.

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Marinette sighed for the seventh time in the last ten minutes. In the end, she was never able to clear up the whole dating-Chat-Noir mess; on the contrary, she fainted under pressure and made a fool of herself – and in front of Adrien of all people! Not that it mattered, the troubled girl thought glumly, since she basically blew her chances with him after she accidentally lied about dating Chat Noir.

Marinette groaned out loud once again and leaned heavily on her balcony railing, feeling worse than ever about the situation. Looking out over the city of Paris – the dark night lit with glittering lights emitting from houses and street lamps, shining and twinkling like stars – she tried to shift her thoughts to better things, in an attempt to lift her spirits.

Well, one bright side to the whole situation was that, according to her overly worried parents, Adrien had carried her home after she fell unconscious. If only she had been awake, then she could have remembered the feeling of his arms around her, and the sound of his voice when he bid her family goodbye.

Marinette's grip on the metal railing tightened, the bite of the cold metal against her hand going unnoticed by the preoccupied girl. Who was she kidding? Those words were probably the last he would ever give her after that. Because sooner or later the truth would come out and he would think that she was a total self-centred liar pining for attention. She was never getting out of this one – even if Alya didn't post about this on her Ladyblog (unlikely), gossip this big never stayed secret, and soon her whole school would know, and then all of _Paris_ would know, and –

A sudden thump on the balcony floor beside her cut her thoughts off entirely. Whirling around to her left, body shifting subconsciously into a defensive stance, her eyes were met with slits of glowing emerald and black leather. It took a second for her to realise just who she was looking at, but after a moment Marinette relaxed her guard at the sight of Chat Noir.

"Hello, my purrincess," Chat greeted, fixing her with a mischievous stare to match his smirk as he tilted his head to the side, eyes gleaming. "A little birdy told me that we're Paris' newest couple. I must say I was surprised – have you finally fallen for my pawsome charm?"

Marinette froze. Oh, this was not good, not good at all.

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 **AN: Hello again! I'm back with another chapter, and I'm happy to say that I've got a few ideas as to where this could lead in future if I decide to carry this on further – otherwise I could just wrap this up in the next chapter… would you guys like that better? Or would you prefer this to become a bit of a series? I'm not entirely sure yet, let me know what you'd prefer (if you want).**

 **Also, a massive thank you to everyone who has already favourited, followed, reviewed or even just read this story! You guys are the best :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug, only the plot (probably).**


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette's mind went into overdrive for the second time that night. _'Why was he here?', 'How did he find out about the rumour so fast?', 'Was he mad?'_ and _'Oh my god what have I done?!'_ were all questions that swirled around her head as she stood frozen in place in front of a very smug-looking Chat Noir.

Taking a deep breath, she calmed her mind and attempted to get a grip on herself before replying. "A-ah, Chat Noir, what are you doing here?"

A pointed look and eyebrow raise from the cat-themed superhero was enough to make Marinette drop the coy pleasantries entirely.

"I'm sorry Chat! I really didn't mean to, it's just that I – I really like someone, but I would _die_ in embarrassment if he ever found out before I was ready to tell him, so I couldn't tell them who my _actual_ crush is, and you were the first name that popped into my head and then it escalated and – I panicked!" Marinette rambled, feeling more and more shame building up in her chest to the point where she couldn't even look at her partner anymore, instead opting to hide her face behind her hands.

Chat Noir's eyes flickered with a hint of – was that disappointment? – before his gazed softened. "Hey, hey, Mari, it's ok," the masked hero assured, taking the embarrassed girls hands in his to reveal her flushed face. "While I don't exactly know the circumstances, I get that you didn't want to say who you actual like – as forward and confident as I seem with my Lady, I can be shy too!"

Marinette looked up at him at the words, peering at him uncertainly through her dark lashes. "Really?" she questioned quietly, hands unconsciously wrapping around the hero's gloved hands as she weighed the sincerely in his gaze.

Chat smiled. "Absolutely. Though I'm not entirely sure how we're going to fix this… situation," he replied with a small frown. Marinette's brows furrowed slightly in thought, refocusing on the problem at hand.

"Yeah… while I don't want to be seen as a liar, or be forced to actuallytell everyone who I like, I really don't want to cause any trouble for you… or your pursuits on Ladybug," the aspiring designer sighed, despite being Ladybug herself and knowing that Chat's advances on her super-heroin persona were futile. She loved Adrien, and he was stubbornly the only one she would allow in her heart.

Chat looked thoughtful for a moment, before a sudden mischievous grin crept over his lips and his eyes shined with excitement. He griped her hands tighter.

"I think I might have an idea!" he exclaimed brightly.

Marinette couldn't help but feel slightly worried at his tone. "Oh?" she inquired, slightly doubtful but desperate enough to hear out the no doubt ridiculous plan formulating in Chat Noir's mind.

"Here's what we'll do," he began, still grinning like a mad man. "We'll pretend to be dating so as to keep true to your claim, then keep it up for a few weeks or so until the press calms down, then 'break up'. That way it won't seem like you're lying, and, if we're lucky, we can make my Lady and this mysterious crush of yours jealous!" Chat leaned in closer to the pretty girl's face. "Say, just _who,_ exactly, has capture your heart anyway, princess?"

Marinette's face exploded with colour at the close proximity and sudden thoughts of Adrien that filled her mind. For a moment, her Adrien-filled fantasies crossed over into reality and Chat Noir was replaced by the blonde model, before Marinette shook the image away with a stubborn denial to the possibility. "Not a chance, kitty," she replied, pushing him back by his nose in a very Ladybug-like way.

Chat only smirked. "What, can a cat not get a kiss from his _girlfriend?"_ he teased, letting the subject of Marinette's secret crush drop. For now. He was still her friend after all, in and out of costume, and he was curious as to who had caught the girl's attention.

The girl gave an aspirated sigh, before continuing. "I never agreed to this plan, you know."

Chat pouted, cat ears flat against his head as he gave Marinette his biggest, most pleading puppy-dog kitty-cat eyes, clasping his hands together in a desperate attempt of getting her to agree. "Pleaseee princess?" he begged.

Marinette rolled her eyes and made a show of not being affected but his pleas, but on the inside, she was fawning over the adorableness that was Chat in that moment, his pose reminiscent of Manon's 'baby doll eyes'.

Marinette sighed and looked Chat Noir in the eye, giving him her best non-impressed look (though she was half certain sparkles had appeared around the stupid cat at this point), and replied begrudgingly, "As risky as this plan of yours is, I guess don't really have much of a choice. Word will spread soon, and as much as I hate lying, there's no way I'm getting out of this one. You get your wish, kitty – now let's see if you can keep up the act."

The slight teasing tone toward the end of Marinette's statement was all Chat needed to get back into the swing of playful banter. He grinned in reply, wide and playful as the Cheshire Cat's. "You seem to underestimate me, my **purr** incess. You forget that I am a brilliant actor – and charm is never a problem for Chat Noir." His eyes seemed to glow in the darkness as he hopped gracefully onto the metal balcony railing, eyes never leaving hers as he unlatched his baton. "Until we meet again, _girlfriend."_

Then, as quick and sudden as he had appeared, he was gone – using his baton as leverage to jump and race across the Parisian roof tops, swift and silent as a shadow. Marinette stared after him till he disappeared from sight, a mix of nerves and a strange anticipation spending butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

"Girlfriend…" she whispered, tasting the word on her tongue as she looked up at the sky, the stars winking at her from above. A thoughtful, conflicting expression played on her face as she sighed. "Girlfriend."

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 **AN: Hey guys, I'm back, with some good news, and bad news. The bad news is that I'm starting back at school next week so updates will probably be slow, but I will try my hardest to keep with my weekly Saturday update schedule (in Australian time, that is).**

 **The good news is that I've figured out a story plan for this fic, so it will probably be continued (yay!). Though despite having a plan for the overall story, I don't exactly have too many plot ideas for individual chapters to forward the story with (particularly Marichat fluff), so feel free to comment any scenes or suggestions that you want to see included in the reviews – they're well appreciated and gets me really motivated to write, as well as giving me an idea of where you want this story to go.**

 **The next chapters should be longer, so look forward to that. Thanks for reading!**

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 **Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug, only the plot.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey guys, I'm back! And so is school which isn't so great because it means I'm probably going to miss an upload at some point, so sorry in advance. But on the plus side, this is the longest chapter yet, and we've finally moved onto plot point 2, which will mostly focus on fluff and relationship development and set things up for the overarching plot. Anyway, enjoy!**

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Everything was blissfully black – a cool, dark reprieve from reality that Marinette took full advantage of, drawing the shadows closer around herself in pure stubbornness to do anything else. She remained that way for a delightfully long time, before a warm orange light began to glow behind her eyelids. She didn't mind at first – it was a pleasant enough – before the light grew brighter and harsher and began to burn at her retinas relentlessly. Marinette's eyes shot open abruptly, only to find herself staring right into a beam of morning sunlight – the cause of her painful awakening. With a groan, she shifted onto her side and into the shadowed half of her bed, cursing herself for forgetting to close the window blinds the night before. She wanted nothing more than to succumb back to the darkness of unconsciousness, but just as she had almost fallen back to sleep, her alarm clock decided to be a petty little breadstick and beep obnoxiously in her ear.

Groaning in frustration, she slammed her hand on the off button and pulled herself from the warmth and comfort of her bed with an exasperated "Fine! I'm up!" directed at nobody in particular. She rubbed her eyes in an attempt to wake herself up and function properly, already _knowing_ that today was not going to be pleasant – her mind rebooting and bringing a sickening sense of dread along with the memories of last Friday. It was, after all, the day she would have to face the music and answer to everyone's burning shock and curiosity about how she's 'dating' the Parisian superhero Chat Noir.

The news was all over the web – Alya betraying her and posting about the 'revelation' on her blog – and she had put off going outside and risking getting recognised all weekend, and had pointedly ignored all Nadja Chamack's calls, knowing full well that they would only be pleas to give her an exclusive interview or to babysit Manon; neither of which Marinette really felt like doing. But now she was obliged to go to school and into the public eye, and she knew no matter how much she dreaded it, she had to leave her room someday. So, with that thought in mind, she set off about getting ready, figuring she might as well get along to school early before she chickened out entirely.

Once dressed and ready, Marinette began to make her way over to the trapdoor leading to the second story of her home before being stopped by her Kwami. Tiki looked at her chosen with big, sapphire eyes before saying, "Remember Marinette, as hard as this situation is to deal with, you will be able to get through this. You're Ladybug after all! This will all blow over with time, you'll see. Now go get 'em!"

Marinette smiled at her optimistic little friend. "Thanks, Tiki. I think I would have still been drowning in self-pity if it weren't for you. You really are my good luck," the girl praised softly, bringing the red and black spotted creature in for a hug, before tucking her safely away in her purse.

Filled with renewed determination from her Kwami's words, Marinette climbed down the ladder with purpose and solid resolve – only to miss a rung and fall right off. Landing in her father's arms with a startled squeak, she looked up into his kind face to find him chipper and unfazed, so used to his daughter's clumsiness that catching her from severe heights was almost second nature to him by now.

"'Morning, sweety! You're up early," Tom commented as he placed the girl back on her feet.

Marinette smiled warmly in return. "'Morning Papa!"

To the girl's relief, both her parents had been very understanding about the whole ordeal – she had explained to them her situation and the deal she made with Chat Noir, and though slightly sceptical, agreed to allow her to continue and keep her silence. Her parents' understanding and consent was a huge relief to Marinette, as it meant she had one less obstacle in her way, and two less people to lie to. Or rather, one less secret to keep from her parents, considering that she'd been keeping the truth of her being Ladybug from them. To be fair they had never actually asked her if she wasLadybug, so she wasn't technically lying, but not exactly truthing either.

Marinette made her way over to the kitchen, greeting her mum and fixing herself breakfast (a pleasure that she often times has to skip) and ate leisurely, postponing her inevitable return to society and trouble. After depositing her empty bowl into the dishwasher and tucking a few freshly baked cookies into her purse for Tiki, Marinette grabbed the lunch her mother prepared for her and put it in her bag, giving each of her parents a hug and a kiss on the cheek before heading off to school.

The sky was clear and the air crisp when she walked out of the bakery doors, the sight of which making her smile and ease a little of the tension coiled tightly in her chest, though the lack of reporters or any general recognition from pass-byers were what truly relieved her. She was in the clear – for now. All she had to do was lay low and hope nobody noticed her before she got to school. Not too hard, right? She lived only a block away from her destination, and there seemed to be a significant lack of people wandering the streets compared to the usual early morning Parisian bustle. All she had to do was keep her head down, walk fast, and pray that her Ladybug luck holds out a little longer. Simple. Totally sim–

"Oh my gosh, is that Chat Noir?!"

Marinette spun around at the sudden outburst from a nearby citizen, eyes widening as they, indeed, beheld the sight of the famed cat hero. The public immediately swarmed him, asking for pictures and autographs and if his rumoured dating status was true. _Maybe this wouldn't be so simple after all,_ Marinette thought glumly.

"I'm sorry my beautiful fans, but I'm a- _ **fur**_ _-_ aid that I can't entertain you today – this knight in shining leather is on a mission," Chat Noir explained to the small crowd of people he had attracted, before his piercing emerald gaze found Marinette's and a smirk overtook his features. "In fact, I believe I've found what I was looking for. Princess!"

Realising with no small amount of horror that the damn cat was calling out to _her,_ Marinette quickly turned away, ignoring the fact that Chat was shouting after her, and walking hurryingly to the street crossing, waiting with desperate impatience for the cars to stop and give way so she could flee before she drew any more attention to herself. A sudden imposing presence beside her and a gloved hand on her shoulder made her cringe. She'd been caught.

"My Princess! You wound me, I know for certain that you heard me. Why do you ignore me so?" Chat Noir asked dramatically.

"What are _doing_ Chat?!" she hissed, brushing off his question as her eyes darted between his and the staring crowd behind them, a crowd that was no doubt beginning to realise just who Marinette was. "This wasn't part of the plan! I thought we were going to keep this on the downlow!"

Chat merely shrugged. "Go big or go home. Besides, now that the secrets out, am I not allowed to escort my beautiful _girlfriend_ to school?" he replied, offering his arm to the girl as his face morphed into an expression of mixed mischief and amusement.

The emphasis on her girlfriend title implored Marinette to remember their agreement and play along, begrudgingly taking his arm as she looked at him sceptically. "You're enjoying this too much," she mumbled in reluctant compliance to his scheming.

Chat laughed heartedly at the miffed comment as they crossed the road, arm in arm as they made their way to Marinette (and secretly Chat's) school, attracting no small number of stares, whispers and camera attention, though Chat didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

"Aren't you worried about the press? It'll be a real hassle for you to deal with them, especially after or even during an akuma battle – and that's with you having your civilian identity to hide behind whenever you need to escape! I, on the other hand, aren't so lucky, Chaton," Marinette asked, hinting slightly at her unfair advantage within the situation.

Chat's eyes gleamed. "You'll do best to remember, Princess, that you were the one who created this whole mess. You brought this upon yourself, and I'm just here for the ride – if I didn't know better, I'd say you planned this just so you'd have the excuse to date me."

Marinette blushed lightly at the words, before allowing a little bit of her Ladybug confidence and wit to surface and leak into her reply. "You seem awfully arrogant for a flirtatious stray running around in cat ears. Tell me, are you like this in your civilian life as well? You must be a model or something if you're _this_ confident and egotistical."

Marinette waited for his witty comeback (something along the lines of "Are you implying that I'm handsome enough to be one?", she imagined), but was only met with silence from a stuttering and speechless Chat Noir. The darkhaired girl frowned at the sight. Surely her retort wasn't _that_ effective, it was nowhere near the quality of some of the lines she had thrown at Chat as Ladybug. So why the sudden shock?

As the two approached the gates of her school, Marinette was about to inquire about the odd reaction from the still slightly frazzled Chat, before a high-pitched shriek of outrage and slight excitement(?) pierced the air. Looking forward into the courtyard of Collège Françoise Dupont, the paired spied a fast approaching, seething Alya storming towards them. Marinette froze in fear at the sight of her furious best friend, Chat stiffening alongside her as they stared in panic and fear (though, internally, Chat let out a small sigh of relief at the distraction – that last comment about him being a model in his civilian form hit a bit too close to home).

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you have a lot of explaining to do!"

Marinette paled. She knew ignoring Alya's calls was a bad move.

* * *

 **AN: To anyone who has read or followed my other Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction Surprise Visit… then I'm really sorry for the lack of uploads – I've been busy writing this. And it'll probably be a while before I post another chapter to that, though that being said, if you're interested, I implore you to go check it out – it's basically just a collection of one-shots that I write and upload if I ever get some inspiration, and is strictly Marichat :3**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading, and I'll hopefully be back again with another chapter next week!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug, only the plot.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Chat, HIDE ME!" Marinette yelled in panic, detangling her arm from his and scrambling behind the cat-themed superhero as she stared at her raging best friend in fear.

Chat stared back at her in equal panic, emerald eyes darting towards his 'girlfriend' and the furious blogger. "What?! No, you hide ME!" he exclaimed, darting and crouching behind the raven-haired girl as he shot another terrified glance over her shoulder to the seething Alya racing down the staircase of the school building. They were dead – they were going to be killed by an enraged, auburn-haired reporter. Even superheros have fears, and a murderous Alya was defiantly high on Chat and Marinette's lists.

"No! Hide me!"

"Hide ME!"

"Me!"

"ME!"

The two Miraculous holders continued to bicker, trying to duck behind each other as they declared desperate explanations as to why the other should take the brunt of Alya's rage – things like "Whatever happened to 'Princess' and my 'knight in shining leather'?! You're meant to be protecting me!" to counter his "She's your friend, this is totally your problem!". This carried on for a surprisingly long time, till the alleged couple realised that it had been at least a minute and they hadn't been attacked with questions from a furious Alya yet.

Turning their glares away from each other, Chat Noir and Marinette looked out toward the Collège Françoise Dupont courtyard to find every student present staring at them – some with shocked, gaping mouths, others with grins of shipping delight and a few whispering among themselves; a Chloe could even be heard screaming in the distance. But their focus quickly reigned in on Alya, who was staring at them wide eyed with her jaw hitting the floor, a mixed expression of shock, outrage and offense shaping her features as she raised an accusing finger at them.

"Marinette… and Chat Noir… but you never… but Ladybug… BUT ADRIEN?!" the auburn-haired girl exclaimed, mind no doubt reeling to comprehend what was happening and what this all meant. At first, she hadn't believed that Marinette was dating Chat Noir, despite posting about the rumour on the Ladyblog – the girl knew that Mari loved Adrien far too much to even consider dating anyone but the male model at this point, yet seeing her best friend bicker with the Parisian superhero like an old married couple made her second guess her initial thoughts. Could it be that they _were_ dating?! Alya was in shock – and outrage. How dare Marinette not tell her best friend about dating Paris' second (in her opinion) best hero?!

Meanwhile, Chat Noir found his initial fear for the previously enrage blogger taking a back seat to his sudden puzzlement. Why had Alya shouted his civilian name? What did that half of himself have anything to do with this situation? Unless… no, she couldn't have figured out his secret identity. Right?!

Amongst his growing panic and spiralling thoughts, Chat didn't notice Marinette's cheeks flush deeply at the latter half of Alya's words, nor did he see how she gapped at Alya in mortification when his civilian name passed the blogger's lips.

"A-Alya!" Marinette exclaimed, still blushing up a storm as she stared hard at her friend, silently communicating for her to be quite before she makes an even bigger scene.

Though despite her efforts to keep the confrontation contained, Alya was suddenly in front of Marinette, as if she had teleported the remaining distance between them just to grip Marinette's shoulders as she fixed her with a panicked and shocked stare. "Girl, what is going _on?!_ Why did you never tell me about this?! How long have you two been dating?! And what ever happened to _you know who?!"_ Alya exclaimed as she shook the accused noirette's shoulders, making the girl even dizzier than she had previously been with the buzzing questions alone.

"Alya, if you would just stop shaking me then maybe we could – "

"We came as soon as we heard!"

Marinette was cut off from her desperate attempts to calm down Alya (who was by that point chanting "Give me the scoop!") by a sudden outburst from behind her. Turning around, Marinette came face to face with Nadja Chamack, a microphone pointed in her direction and a video camera trained on her, as the news reporter stared her down with determined fire in her eyes.

"You may have ignored my phone calls, Mariette, but you can't evade me this time!" Nadja exclaimed. Marinette paled. She should really stop ignoring people's calls; so far it has caused her nothing but trouble in the form of enraged reporters.

"Oh, hell no, this scoop is _mine,"_ Alya growled, stepping between Marinette and Nadja, shielding the raven-haired girl from the camera as she got up in the news reporter's face intimidatingly.

Nadja 'tsked'. "Move aside, _amateur,_ leave this to the professionals who actually know what they're doing."

Alya bristled, eyes flashing dangerously. "Oh, you did _not_ just call me an amateur."

"Did I stutter?" Nadja snarked.

"I'm sorry, but who was the one who had to turn to _Hawkmoth_ and get _akumatized_ just to gain enough views to keep from getting sacked? Face it, your show's a total flop; meanwhile, my blog is on an all-time high with skyrocketing view counts."

Nadja's anger flared. "Oh you did _not_ just – "

" _Did I stutter?"_ Alya echoed with a snarl.

As the two reporters exchanged burns and retaliations, Marinette slowly inched her way toward Chat Noir, eyes never leaving the battle between the two journalists, much like everyone within sight of the two newswomen. Lacing her fingers with Chat Noir's, Marinette leaned toward him and whispered to the cat-themed superhero, neither of their eyes straying from the sight before them.

"Hey Chat," she whispered.

"Yes Princess?" the said boy replied in her same hushed tone.

"You wanna get out of here?" she asked, finally tearing her gaze from the battle-of-the-reporters to gaze up at her partner.

He met her eyes with a mischievous smirk. "It would be my pleasure."

Wrapping one arm securely around her waist, Chat grabbed his baton with his other hand before placing its tip to the ground and extending it, bracing himself for the propulsion that came with his baton's elongation. The baton shot into the sky, thrusting both Chat Noir and Marinette high into the air of limitless freedom and possibility and away from their grounded problems. The air rushed around them, tearing at their clothes and Marinette's hair ties, successfully ripping her midnight hair from their bound grip, sending it fluttering around her. After a few moments of skyrocketing into the Parisian skies, Chat ceased their climb towards the clouds, their momentum coming to a halt as he held her against the fatal grip of gravity.

Chat shifted his gaze to meet hers. "So, Princess, where would you like to go? I'm **paw** sitive you wouldn't want to go back down there and face that **cat fight** ," he exclaimed with a proud smirk at his puns.

Marinette rolled her eyes at the puns, a fond smile playing on her lips. "No, I certainly don't, but I can't just skip school!"

Chat replied with a look of dramatic horror. "Oh, but of course, Princess. We simply _cannot_ ruin your perfect record. It would be a **paw** ling! I completely understand, I mean, you have a goody-two-shoes reputation to uphold, after all."

Marinette's eyes flashed dangerously at the implication, anger flaring and staining her cheeks pink as she glared at him. Her mind was set in an instant.

"We're skipping school."

Chat smirked. "I was hoping you would say that."

* * *

 **AN: And here it is guys – the next chapter. Sorry if this one was a little short, I know I said like two chapters ago that they were going to start getting longer but to be honest I only had about a quarter of this written just three hours ago because I had writer's block, but thankfully I managed to pull through and deliver this on time for you guys. Anyway, next chapter should be SUPER fun, so look forward to some extreme Marichat fluff :3**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading, following, favouriting and reviewing! It means the world to me :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug, only the plot.**


	6. Chapter 6

Now, if you had asked Marinette just a week prior if she would ever consider skipping school just to get out of a bad situation (we're looking at you, exams), she would have said no in a heartbeat – excluding any Ladybug-related emergencies, of course. She was a good girl, with grades, a reputation and parental expectations to live up to – she didn't have the time to be so rebellious. And yet here she was, walking around Paris well after the school bell with Chat Noir – saviour of Paris and her fake boyfriend – strolling beside her dressed in a beige trench coat with matching, chestnut brown slacks slipped over his leather suit. Marinette herself had, too, slipped on a disguise, cliché enough to match Chat and turn a few curious heads.

"Chat, where are we going?" the raven-haired girl asked beneath her much-too-large fedora and the fake, bushy moustache Chat had forced her to wear, despite her loud protests ("Girl's don't have moustaches! The whole point of a disguise is to be blend it, and right now I look even more conspicuous!" "But it adds to all the fun!"). After meeting another stranger's stare, bewildered and gawking at the sight of her fake facial hair, she tore off the moustache with an embarrassed grumble. Stupid cat and his stupid ideas.

The disguised superhero pretended not to hear the half-hearted curses she threw his way, eyes instead sparkling with mischief beneath dark-tinted sunglasses so large they covered his tell-tale black mask as he replied vaguely to her previous question. "That, my Princess, is a su **purr** ise."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Your cat puns get less and less creative every day. You're losing your touch, Kitty"

He gave her a smirk and a sideways glance. "And how would you know the limit of my creativity? Don't tell me you stalk me just to hear the **paw** sitively **paw** some puns I tell my Lady while on patrol! I didn't realise you were such a clingy girlfriend," Chat teased.

Marinette blushed lightly in indignation and pushed aside the panic from her slight slipe up; she wasn't supposed to know just how often he cracked those stupid jokes. Right. Focus. Respond. "In your dreams, _Chaton._ As if I would waste my time," she breezed as they stopped at set of lights, waiting for the road to clear.

"Hey, I'll have you know that my puns are legendary – Ladybug said so herself," he countered, puffing up his chest and lifting up his chin in pride as they walked across the road during a pause in traffic.

"Lair," Marinette snorted. "Ladybug despised your puns as much as I do."

"But you both secretly love them and would be absolutely a **paw** led if I stopped?" he asked hopefully, wiggling his fake bushy eyebrows he had bought from the costume store they had attained their cliché disguises from. They looked as ridiculous as her moustache had, but he hardly seemed to care.

Marinette sighed in a mixture of exasperation and fondness. "As much as it pains me to say it, yes, I'm sure we would," she relented. After only silence returned her response, she took a peek at Chat to gauge his reaction – irritation flaring at the sight of at his sh*t-eating grin and 'I told you so' look in his eyes. "Oh, stop being so smug about it!" she quipped.

Chat released his repressed laughter. Marinette pouted, levelled him with a glare, and, stifling her urge to join in his annoyingly infectious laughter, waited until he calmed himself down from his hysterics. When he did not, she gave a huff and turned away from him dramatically.

"Sorry, sorry," Chat apologised, reigning in his lingering chuckles as he fought to regain Marinette's attention. When she stubbornly refused to look at him, he let out a pleading whine. Her averted gaze turned to ice. Defeated, he let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine, let me make it up to you."

Chat ran ahead of her and, putting aside her stubborn resolved to sulk just to get the cat to beg for a while longer, she turned to look at him: paused a ways in front of her and bowing in a very Chat-typical manner, one hand extended out to her in a familiar pose.

"Shall we, Princess?"

Marinette look up from his outstretched hand to the towering glass pyramid behind him, momentarily losing her breath in shock and awe as she took in the sight of their destination – the beauty of the Louvre still catching her off guard despite the many occasions she had seen it. She returned her gaze to Chat Noir's, his eyes playful and full of promised mischief. Marinette smirked back with equal frisk.

"So we shall, Kitty Cat," she replied, placing her hand in his gloved one as she smiled with a warmth in her eyes that thawed any and all ice that remained in her gaze. "So we shall."

* * *

"My goodness, that shade of green with _that_ shade of brown? Simply outrageous; the colour pallet was _obviously_ in need with hickory brown, not carob!"

"Oh, I know my darling! And do you _see_ those brush strokes? So inconsistent."

Marinette tore her gaze away from the landscape painting she and Chat Noir were currently critiquing to sneak a glance at superhero. She watched as he rubbed his chin in thought as he scrutinised the painting with a conceited scowl, before she returned her gaze back to the poor painting they had decided to fault, before replying in the most posh and imperious voice she could manage.

"Oh yes, I totally agree; what an atrocity of a painting. I wonder, just how _did_ it get in a gallery as elusive as the Louvre in the first place? I mean, it's not like this piece of artwork is by a famous artist or anything…" Marinette trailed off, leaving the lie and false assessment hanging in the air.

Marinette looked at Chat.

Chat looked at Marinette.

.

.

.

And they both burst out laughing. The two had been putting their disguises to good use, acting like aristocratic, egoistic critics and giving bad reviews to some of the most famous and beautiful works of art just for the irony of it all.

"Come on, let's go before the security kick us out. They've been eyeing us for a while," Chat said once his chuckles had subsided, the remains of joy and laughter still twinkling like starlight in his eyes.

Marinette nodded with a giggle. "Perhaps that's because you stole the Mona Lisa not all that long ago?"

Chat gasped in mock hurt as they made their ways through the thin crowd towards the exit. "Princess, you must know that that wasn't me! It was an imposter, a **copy cat!** I thought you of all people, as my fake girlfriend, would know the difference."

"Oh of course, how could I ever not be able to tell? Only you are able to make such awful cat puns," she replied.

"Hey, I thought we established that you loved them!"

"Only secretly, and only when I'm feeling generous," Marinette replied with grin.

Chat pouted as he held open the door open for her and offered her his arm, Marinette giving a mock curtsey as the courteous action before taking it, which left Chat clicking his tongue in disapproval and going off on a lecture about how "chivalry is dying" and why we should "fight to keep it in alive". Marinette could only laugh and agree with half-hearted investment to the topic, more intrigued by the beautiful scenery as their aimless stroll took them down a peaceful path along the edge of the seine.

"… and that is why chivalry is still important," Chat concluded, after at least ten minutes of his ranting lecture.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, that's great Chaton," Marinette replied, praying that the fact that she hadn't been completely listening wasn't too obvious. His sceptical gaze told her otherwise.

"Why, Marinette, could it be that you were, dare I say it, ignoring me this whole time? You wound me, how could my own fake girlfriend be so cruel?" Chat asked in mock hurt, the over-exaggerated offence in his voice giving away his teasing motives, and clueing Marinette in on his game.

The noirette scowled, before deciding to give the cat a taste of his own medicine. "You're hurt? What about me – calling our relationship fake; I really thought we had something special," Marinette sulked, channelling her inner actress as she twisted his words and threw them back at them. If he wanted to play the blame game, than so could she; only, her words seemed to have had the opposite affect intended, as Chat only smirked at her comment and leaned in closer to her flirtatiously.

"Forgive me, my Princess, I did not realise you loved me that much – though for that I can't blame you, I mean just look at me; no one could resist these **meow** vellous charms. Though if you would pre **furr** we could scrap all this fake dating and instead make it all official?" Chat crooned.

His eyes bore into hers, filled with intensity and playful mocking as his breath fanned her burning cheeks. Marinette, a blushing mess with no coherent thoughts to speaks of (I mean did have to be _that_ close and have eyes the _exact_ shade as Adrien's?!), did the only rational thing she could think to do in her flirt-induced fluster: she pushed him into the serine.

* * *

The shining lights of city buildings and streetlamps twinkled beneath their feet; the warm glows of light dotting Paris mirroring the sky as the stars began to blink awake amongst the pink of sunset and sparse white of drifting clouds. Chat Noir and Marinette sat side-by-side atop a high beam within the ironwork of the Eiffel Tower, gently swinging their legs back and forth as they swept their gazes across the maze of Parisian streets and sky of ever-changing colours and twinkling constellations. The silence that wrapped itself around the two was comfortable – peaceful save for the inconsistent drips of water against metal reminding both of the prior incident.

Marinette sighed, each droplet of water dripping from Chat's body only increasing her guilt, before she turned to the cat-themed superhero. "I'm sorry again for pushing you into the serine," Marinette apologised for exactly the 11th time since she had done so, heart still heavy with lingering culpability despite the masked blonde's constant reassurance.

Chat sighed in asperation. "Mari, if you apologise one more time, I'm going to bombard you with ridiculous amounts of cat puns until you've accepted my forgiveness. You wouldn't like that, now would **meow**?" Chat asked in half-seriousness, looking over at the raven-haired girl with a sincere, if not slightly cheeky, smile.

Marinette sighed softly, before turning her eyes to the sky. "Alright, I'll stop, if only to save myself from your awful puns."

"I believe you mean **paw** some puns," Chat corrected.

Mariette laughed in response, earning a relieved grin from Chat, who was starting to fret over the sudden quietness that had overtaken her ever since she had pushed him into the serine. He was finally able to interact with while she was confident and outgoing – as she was with everyone else except Adrien. Was she nervous around his civilian self? Intimidated? Why? – and he didn't want to ruin his chance to exploring this fun and stutter-less side of her.

Once her giggles had subsided, Marinette smiled softly and leaned her head against Chat's shoulder, the pink dusting her cheeks being just as easily from the wash of the sunset as it could have been from a genuine blush. Chat stilled slightly at the sudden unfamiliar contact, before relaxing and supporting the slight pressure as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Thank you for today, Chat. It was the most fun I've had in a while," Marinette said softly, voice hushed and gentle as she remained her gaze on the sinking sun. Chat followed her line of vision, gazing at the horizon in silence as he rested his head atop hers.

"Me too."

* * *

 **AN: Ok so this has technically been uploaded on Sunday (AUS time), but to be fair it's not even half an hour into the day yet, so I'm still counting this as an on-time upload. Plus, to make up for it, this is the longest chapter yet! Anyway,** **I'm super tired now, but it was worth getting this out (almost) on time.**

 **Thanks for reading, and if you're feeling nice, leave a review, because they make me super happy :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **AN: … I missed an upload. The day has finally come. I knew it had to happen eventually but it still makes me kinda sad lol**

 **Sorry for this being a week and a day late, all my assignments came in all at once and I hadn't even been able to start this chapter till yesterday.**

 **And so, to Leen Ananzeh, who asked if there was a part 7, here it is!**

* * *

Marinette watched her phone light up, buzzing and chiming obnoxiously in an attempt to alert its owner of an incoming call. She stared down the device, watching it intensely as she summoned her all her courage and strength to press down on the 'answer' button. She drew in a deep breath, brought the phone to her ear, and answered the call – only to be immediately yelled at.

"MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! YOU SKIPPED SCHOOL TO HANG OUT WITH CHAT NOIR?! SO WHAT, IS HE YOUR BOYFRIEND NOW!? I THOUGHT I RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THIS! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU – "

Marinette winced as she pulled the phone away from her ear, the sound of her screaming friend continuing her outraged tangent now a muffled shriek with the distance she kept her phone from her now-throbbing eardrums. Once the blaring chatter had quietened to a level that would no longer break the universal sound barrier, Marinette brought the communication device back to her ear in time to catch the last of Alya's vent of anger.

"– so, what do you have to say for yourself?!"

Marinette sighed, running a hand through her bangs in distress and acceptance of the interrogative fate she was sure to endure for the next three hours.

"I'm sorry for skipping school and not telling you about Chat – "

"You better be," Alya interjected.

"– _but,_ you have to understand that me and Chat never wanted our relationship to become public; even to you. We didn't want to risk the chance of the tabloids getting wind of what we have, and you have to understand that _you_ are a reporter!" Marinette attempted to explain, guilt tying knots in her stomach as more and more lies slipped through her teeth. She so desperately wanted to tell Alya the truth, but knew better than to get her friend tangled further in this game of deceit and false feelings.

"I never would have put any of this up on the Ladyblog if you had told me earlier – you _know_ I wouldn't've!" Alya reasons, tone defensive and slightly cracked. "I'm your friend before I am a reporter," she says, softer this time. "I would never betray you like that."

The knots in Marinette's stomach grew lethally tight. Here she was, lying and betraying her best friend's trust, while that very same friend was vowing that she would never break hers. It was almost enough to crack the resolve she had fixed in placed to keep herself from spilling everything to Alya, but she held strong.

"I'm sorry," Marinette replied, voice becoming weaker and weaker the more she tried to will strength and fake assertiveness to her tone. Her voice broke where her façade could not. "I was just so scared."

And she was. She was scared that this deception could cleave an impassable void between her and Alya; scared that if this scandal got out people would hate on her to the point of her own self-destruction; scared that this plan she and Chat had made to get them closer to their respective crushes would only push Adrien further away. She was scared of the lies that were starting to destroy ever moral she had ever valued – those of friendship, trust, honesty, loyalty; even love. They were all she stood for, and yet here she was, going against them all. The thought made her sick.

As if sensing Marinette's inner turmoil, Alya's voice softened with concern – anger and betrayal taking a back seat to her love and continued protectiveness of her best friend. The action only made Marinette feel worst. "Honey, it's ok. I'm not mad – not really. I'm just… upset you didn't tell me about this before. But I guess what's done is done, and there's no use in yelling at you about it."

Marinette's trapdoor opened with a creak – troubled blue-bell eyes darting over to the unlocked entrance as a lump formed painfully in her throat at the sight of Alya peeking her head through the hatch, phone still held to her ear as she looked at Marinette with a tentative smile and hopeful eyes. "Forgive me?"

Marinette's vision blurred with sudden tears as she uncoiled herself from the ball she had curled into and leapt off her chaise lounge, phone dropped and forgotten on the hardwood floor as she raced towards Alya. The auburn-haired girl had only just managed to stand up before she was tackled back to the floor by an overwhelmed and suddenly very grateful Marinette.

Alya looked down at the raven-haired girl in surprise, taken aback from the sudden display of affection and the few vulnerable tears running down the girl's cheeks, before her eyes softened and she wrapped her own arms around the shaking noirette.

"I got you girl," Alya whispered comfortingly as she ran her hands through Marinette's dark silken locks, tears of her own forming in her eyes. "I got you."

* * *

After two hours filled with pastry-bingeing, false explanations and half-truths, Marinette and Alya had resolved their initial friendship set-back, with Alya having gotten past Marinette's silence on her 'secret relationship' with Chat Noir, and Marinette back in control of her emotions – her questioning of her identity, morals and motives pushed to the back of her mind the with the help of Alya's kind and encouraging words.

Though despite the pause Marinette's inner conflict had been put on, she could still hear the doubts whispering in the dark corners of her mind – like toxic smoke slowly choking her from the inside out. Questions like _"Was it truly right to be using Chat like she was just to have a shot at getting Adrien to notice her, when she knows that Ladybug would never be effected by Chat's sudden reveal of their relationship?"_ , and _"Was she taking her partner's kindness and generosity for granted, just to satisfy her own selfish desires?"_ lingering in her mind and causing her anxiety every time she had a moment's peace. It was torturous, but she tried her best to bottle them up so she could mull them over later. For the moment, though, she had a different problem to take care of.

"So, girl, you know I've been trying my best to be patient with this, but I just can't go any longer without asking; what happened to your feelings for Adrien?!" Alya asked around a bite of flaky pastry and rich chocolate. Marinette sighed, having already known that the question was inevitable, but still just as unwilling to make up an excuse to explain her sudden 'disinterest' in Adrien as she was when Alya first called. The said girl frowned at her friend's silence and reluctant expression, pointing her chocolate éclair at her accusingly. "Hey, you promised to tell me everything, and this is clearly the most baffling thing about your not-so-secret relationship with Chat Noir. You were a stuttering, head-over-heels mess for Adrien just last week – what changed?" Alya questioned.

Marinette's eyes shifted from Alya, to the chocolate-chip cookie in her hand, and before finally returning back to Alya. After a reluctant pause and quick mental scramble for the most believable story she could think of, Marinette dove into the fake explanation.

"Well, I guess after that whole Evillustrator incident when Chat saved me, I grew a bit of a crush on him – only my love for Adrien overshadowed those feelings. Then, at your sleepover last Friday night when you asked me who I had a crush on, I answered with Chat Noir to save myself from having to confess to Adrien in such an unideal way, while still being truthful to the question. After that, Chat somehow got wind of my little confession and told me that he like me too! He said that he was in a similar situation to me: having a crush on one person, but having those affections dominated by those for another – that person being Ladybug. He said that despite his feelings for his Lady, he knew that she didn't like him back, and thought that maybe we would have a better chance at making a relationship together work out.

"I realised then that Chat was right – Adrien doesn't see me that way, and waiting around for him to would just get me hurt in the end, so I figured that being with some who actually likes me, and who I like in return, would be better than hoping for something to bloom between Adrien and I. I need to take him off the pedestal I've placed him on before I can even hope for anything more to come from us – platonic or no."

The words had started out as a cover up story – an explanation to satisfy Alya's questioning and give her and Chat a believable alibi. But as she continued to talk, the more truth began to weave with her lies – she _did_ need to take Adrien off his pedestal, as did Chat with Ladybug. And as for her feelings for the cat-themed superhero… well, the line between truth and lies were too blurry for her to attempt to distinguish for the moment.

Alya nodded in understanding, seemingly satisfied with her answer. "I see where you're coming from… I mean, who knows? Maybe this is for your own good. I'm just kinda bummed that both my ships got sunk all in one go. But then again, Marichat doesn't sound like a bad alternative to Adreinnette and LadyNoir, right?" Alya asked jokingly with a sly grin and playful nudge.

Marinette laughed in response and continued to chatter with Alya, bottling her muddled feelings for both Chat Noir and Adrien and storing them away in the back of her mind – the problem being left to gather dust with every other neglected thought she had accumulated over the years until she was alone and ready to revisit the dilemma.

* * *

 **AN: Now I know what you're thinking: "Author's new chapter is over a week late, and it's Marichat-less?! What ever happened to standards!" And to that, I'm sorry. I know that there's no Marichat in this chapter, but I have to work in some plot devices somewhere! This chapter was more focused on Marinette setting things straight with Alya (since I've neglecting writing her much-needed explanation for far too long), and setting some things up for the plot later down the track. Sorry that this chapter was more angst-y than fluffy; I hope you still enjoyed it regardless.**

 **Anyway, feel free to scream at me and my tardiness down in the review box, or if you're feeling nice, criticism or just general, random messages and cat puns are well appreciated also :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Question: how would you guys feel about me getting a beta reader for this fic? And, more pressingly, how many of you would be interested?**

 **Also I goT A CAT PUN SHIRT! I'M WEARING IT RIGHT NOW AND I LOVE IT! I saw it in the store, mind immediately flying to Chat Noir and how proud he would be of it, and grabbed it without even looking at the price. It is now my designated Fanfiction shirt – I like to think that Chat would be proud :)**

* * *

Marinette sat on her bed, legs crossed with a blanket draped over her shoulders and her arms wound around a puffy pink pillow, as she stared, once again, at her phone from its place on her bed sheets. During the long hours she and Alya had chattered after her semi-breakdown/reunion, the brunette had brought up a point that hadn't even occurred to Marinette, and now that she thought more on the matter, it seemed even more pressing then before. Because, as trivial as the detail was, people _would_ notice it, especially with all the attention she had drawn to herself with the revelation of her and Chat's 'relationship'.

Now you may be wondering: what on Earth was this small yet somewhat stress-worthy problem, and why was it causing Marinette to stare at her phone like it was a bomb that was about to go off in her hands. Well, the answer was simple; social media.

Marinette had a Facebook account – though she rarely used it – and because she had simpley set her username as 'Marinette Dupain-Cheng', thousands of people had found her through a simple search and common knowledge, and requested to follow her – purely because she was 'dating' Chat Noir. Now, this wasn't unusual, or a real problem in itself – she just ignored the requests in favour of keeping her follower count just to those she knew personally (she wasn't particularly fond of the idea of random people and tabloids looking at and judging her wall).

The problem was, however, that no matter who she allowed to follow her, the whole world could see her account's relationship status with a click of a button. Her Facebook status, which she still had set to 'blank' in pure laziness to change it when she first started her account, was just that; blank. Not 'in a relationship with: Chat Noir' like everyone expected them to be.

The technicality and drama surrounding online relationship statuses was purely stupid to Marinette, but some people were often stupidly observant. And doubtful. And obsessive. (Or maybe just protective? Chat's fans seem quite loyal and defensive of him from what Marinette had seen from the Chat Noir fan-accounts and blogs scattered across multiple social media platforms – Chat had even told her about them on patrol once. Said that he tried to follow (or friend) as many of them back with his official accounts as possible, because _"Can you imagine their reactions when they get a notification that_ the _Chat Noir has followed them, My Lady? I know if someone as_ _ **paw**_ _some as me followed me, I would swoon. Speaking of, would you care to finally follow me back on Twitter? You could see me fan-boy right here in person."_ It had come out cheeky, if not slightly arrogant, but Marinette could tell that he really just wanted to do something sweet for his fans to show them his appreciation.)

Regardless, the point was that people would start to take notice that their accounts weren't labelled as 'in a relationship' with each other. And, despite Marinette's opinion that the whole thing was stupid, she couldn't deny that fans and tabloids may take it the wrong way, and she didn't want anyone doubting the ruse that the two of them were dating – else they start to dig around and uncover the truth about their relationship.

Marinette groaned in frustration, receiving a concerned look from Tiki – the Kwami wanting to comfort her holder, but knowing the best way to do so was to give the girl some space to think things over.

Marinette was annoyed with herself for overthinking such a small matter. Because, truth be told, the problem had such an easy fix – all she had to do was change her status to 'in a relationship', and ask Chat to do the same, if only for the sake of keeping their lie alive. And yet there was just one thing, one teeny-tiny stubborn thought, that kept Marinette's fingers well away from her smartphone screen. Adrien.

Despite being in a fake relationship with Chat Noir, Marinette still had feelings for the blonde model – he was, after all, part of the reason why Marinette had agreed to fake date Chat in the first place; to get his attention. And it was this nagging feeling of stubborn love and loyalty (could she even say she was loyal to him when she was in a relationship with another boy?) **(AN: Oh, the irony)** that made her pause any further action to change her relationship status. Because as stupid as Marinette thought the concept was, she still felt that changing hers to 'in a relationship' with anyone but Adrien was very _final._ That she finally had to accept and acknowledge that she was, as far as the rest of Paris was concerned, in a relationship with the cat-themed hero. That she couldn't daydream about Adrien, or hope for any romance with him, because she already had a boyfriend; not that Chat would particularly mind if she did long to be with Adrien, given that Chat himself was longing for Ladybug (which was still her, but he didn't need to know that) (or rather, he did, but she couldn't tell him that). The whole situation was giving her a headache.

Then, just when she was about to let her head fall back and bang against the wall out of pure frustration, a light tapping interrupted her thoughts.

Straightening her spine and tensing her muscles out of battle reflex, Marinette paused for a moment in silence, trying to discern if she had actually heard the noise, or if she was just going insane.

 _Tap, tap, tap,_ it persisted.

Unfurling herself from her cozy cocoon of warmth, Marinette crawled over towards the ladder leading down from her loft and peeked over the edge, surveying the bottom level of her room in mild fear.

 _Tap, tap, tap._

Flicking her gaze over to her window, her eyes widened to find Chat Noir pressed against the exterior of her house, tapping at the glass with one hand while the other fought to keep him aloft.

"Princess?" he called from outside, voice muffled yet distinguishable. "Are you in there? Can I come in?"

Marinette sighed and turned to whisper for Tiki to hide, before she climbed down the ladder and made her way over to the window. Chat Noir spotted her, and lit up immediately, looking for all the world a lost kitten that just found its owner. A smile ghosted her lips at the thought, fingers unlatching the window lock and ushering the blonde inside.

Once the window was closed once more, Marinette turned to Chat with one eyebrow raised in suspicion. "Why, it seems the stray has come 'round to visit," she says with mild amusement.

Chat Noir grins. "It would seem so," he replies, getting comfy atop Marinette's chaise lounge. "Just checking up on you. Making sure you weren't in too much trouble for skipping school."

Marinette pursed her lips at the thought. "Well, my parents certainly weren't happy, and Alya gave me hell for it, but hopefully it'll all die down soon."

Chat nods in understanding. "My farther wasn't happy either – gave me a big, long lecture and everything," he comments, mind tracing back to that afternoon when he was called into his father's office. He was given a stern talking to, but was more or less let off with the excuse of being harassed by reporters and hiding it out in a public bathroom the whole day because his "phone died and the thought of being caught by them again was nauseating". Chat quickly fought to change the subject at the unpleasant memories. "So, what have you been – are those pictures of m– Adrien Agreste?"

Marinette flushed scarlet as she realised Chat had spotted her millions of posters of the teen model she had plastered around her study desk – mind spiralling into panic and failing to catch Chat's slight slip up in her fluster.

"No! Well – I mean – yes, maybe, but – i-it's for measurements!" Marinette went redder the more she talked. "He has a good figure – you know, because he's a model, and all that – so I use the pictures as a guide for when I'm sewing and designing male's clothing and, yeah." She was astounded she had even managed to talk, let alone come up with a half-solid excuse – albeit its stuttering, rambling delivery.

Chat blinked owlishly at her, clearly more than a little stunned at her unnecessarily flustered reaction, but was polite enough not to inquire about it further. "Right – makes sense," he says, and he means it. "So, what you been up to?"

Marinette sighed – half from relief of the topic change, and half in misery from the topic that he changed it to. "I was trying to convince myself to change my Facebook status to 'in a relationship', because people might become suspicious about us if we don't, but I just can't bring myself to do it because it feels so final – like I'm officially cutting off any chances I might have had with my crush."

Chat frowns in contemplation. "Changing your Facebook relationship status?"

Marinette nods, before climbing up the ladder leading to her bed, grabbing her phone, and swinging back to the ground floor with practiced ease and speed. "It's such a stupid, trivial thing, I know, but I just can't bring myself to do it," Marinette rambles as she types in her phone password, her Facebook settings popping up in place of the lock-screen. She glares at it.

"So, what you're saying is that you don't want to change your Facebook status because it feels like completely cutting your availability off from your crush?" Chat asked, somewhat confused yet also strangely amused.

"Yes, exactly. I just… can't," Marinette sighs, running her fingers through her bangs as she collapses on the chaise long next to Chat, phone in hand.

Chat's quite for a moment, before a wild, mischievous grin splits across his face, green eyes glinting with wicked humour. Marinette feels herself pale at the sight, and before she can react or defend herself, Chat has snatched the phone from her grasp and begun tapping away at it.

"Hey!" Marinette shouts, sitting bolt upright and grabbing wildly at her phone. Chat only laughs at her futile attempts, holding the device just out of reach, before he's satisfied with the result on the screen and allows her to seize it from his leather-clad grip.

Marinette gasps in shock and horror at her newly-updated Facebook account, now proudly (or mockingly; she couldn't really tell) stating that she was in a relationship with the damned ally cat himself, Chat Noir.

Chat grins. "Problem solved - I did it for you."

She huffs. "I wasn't ready! I wanted to at least cherish a few more moments of my virtual singularity!" Marinette quips, irritated despite her slight internal relief that the ordeal was finally done with. Her anger flared, however, as Chat continued to laugh as if he had just made the best cat-pun of all time. _Like a cat with the cream,_ Marinette thought (before realising she just made a mental cat pun and cringed at herself). In a fit of annoyance and slight temper, she grabbed a pillow off the chaise lounge and hit the cackling cat upside the head. Chat immediately went still, the laughter stopping as quick as it started as he slowly – oh so painstakingly slowly – turned his eyes towards her. They seemed to burn like green fire – his intense gaze locking with hers in a way that clearly communicated one single message: War. Not just a pillow fight, but a _pillow_ _war._

Suddenly Marinette wished she hadn't touched the pillow at all.

* * *

 **AN: Oh my God. Guys. I just read one of the best books ever. And now I can't even function, holy hell it was just so great. I don't even want to look at another book right now, because nothing in my mind right now will compare to the gloriousness that is Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (which I highly recommend you read if you haven't already). God bless SnowBaz, I will die with that ship XD**

 **Maybe I'll even write a Carry On fanfiction sometime, who knows :)**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter – sorry again for such an uneventful one. The Marichat here was disappointing, I know, but I'm sure it would have been worst if I tried to force anything more from it. Maybe I'll write the rest of the pillow war next chapter when I'm more over my writer's block – let me know if you guys want to see that, because I've got a few compromising situations the two could get themselves into during that scenario ;)**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, or Facebook.**


	9. Chapter 9

Marinette lay on her bed, stomach pressed flat to her mattress and muscles tensed. Slowly, like a lion stalking its prey through tallgrass, she inched towards the edge of her bed, peeking out from over the loft and scanning her bedroom floor. Her chaise longue was tipped over on its side and pressed into a corner, creating sort of wall-barrier-thing, while the rest of her furniture was tossed askew and knick-knacks were scattered messily around her room as if a nuclear bomb had been set off within it. The entire mess was all a result of the vicious pillow fight that had been left on a temporary standstill, yet Chat Noir was nowhere to be seen.

Marinette sighed quietly in relief, muscles slowly relaxing as she backed up from the edge, eyes still darting around the bottom floor of her room as she felt around blindly for another pillow to use in self-defence. Continuing to scan the bedroom-turned-battlefield, she drew herself back up to a sitting position, pillow in hand and mind whirring. Where had Chat disappeared to? Was he below her desk and out of sight? Had he escaped out the window? Was he on the roof? (Marinette looked up at the rafters suspiciously. He wasn't.)

Chat's disappearance confused Marinette. So far, he'd been dominating in a winning streak, and he enjoyed boasting about his victories far too much to simply stop and leave the score unsettled. Maybe he was…

Realisation dawned on her the same moment a light _thump_ sounded from behind her. The mattress beneath her shifted with the weight that had dropped down from Marinette's open skylight, before a long, dark shadow was cast over her. She only just managed to turn around, wild eyes catching a glimpse of blurring leather and a wicked smirk, before she was hit across the face with a plush pillow. The impact sent her toppling over the edge of her bed's banister, a surprised "Eep!" flying past her lips before she found herself hanging over the edge of her loft, body suspended in mid-air by the grip of a gloved hand latched around her ankle.

Marinette glared up at Chat, eyebrows drawn together and lips set in a pout as she scowled at his smug face. "No fair! Sneak attacks are totally against the rules!" Marinette whined, grumpy and slightly bitter at being caught off guard once again. Chat only grinned.

"I believe, Princess, that rules were never **purr** -operly established, so the point still counts. What's the score, now? Two to thirteen?" Chat purred, obviously enjoying getting under Marinette's skin and working her up into a frustrated fluster. The noirette huffed in indignation, only further satisfying the cat-themed superhero's desire to annoy her.

"Yes, well _I believe_ that last time I checked, we were having a pillow fight – not re-enacting Mufasa's death!" Marinette quipped, dark bangs flipped back and left to dangle in the air; cheeks and exposed forehead flushed. "Now if you don't mind, I would rather like to be set down before all the blood rushes to my head."

Chat chuckled lightly at the sight of her dangling in the air at the mercy of his grasp, before meeting her gaze with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "As you wish."

Chat abruptly let go of Marinette's ankle, sending the girl crashing to the ground with a startled shriek. Her back hit a stack of pillows, and she rolled halfway down the fluffy mountain with a pained and annoyed groan.

"How dare you betray me, you poorly animated lion!" Marinette whined. The similarities between Chat Noir and Scar from Disney's _The Lion King_ seemed far too similar, between the parallel situation and the blonde's cat ears, for her liking.

"Hey!" Chat cried in offense, leaping down to join her on the mountain of pillows with a graceful, cat-like grace. He scowled at her in mock offense. "For your information, _The Lion King_ was one of the most innovated animated movies of all time, and Scar was just a misjudged character!" Marinette rolled her eyes, to which Chat returned with a huff.

"Yeah, right," Marinette drawled, leaping up suddenly and whacking Chat upside the head with a surprise pillow attack. "I believe that's one point for me, Scar-sympathiser." Marinette's triumphant grin made Chat Noir's eyes spark with competitive spirit. She only grinned wider.

"Oh yeah?" he growled, face dark despite the brightness of his eyes – like two flames flickering in determination and amusement against the darkness of his mask. "Take that!" he yelled, grabbing a pillow from the pile beneath them and swinging it in an arch towards Marinette's head. The targeted girl shrieked, half in laughter and half in surprise, before letting her Ladybug reflexes kick in and ducking the blow.

The pillow sailed harmlessly past her head, and Chat – still gripping the white linen – continued to move with its momentum. Using this to her advantage, Marinette grabbed another pillow and flung it into the preoccupied blonde's chest, sending him toppling backwards – eyes wide in panic as he began to lose his balance atop the mountain of pillows. Seeing yet another chance to strike, Marinette, elated from all the points she had been racking during her blonde opponent's momentary distraction, sprang forward from her crouched position and tackled Chat Noir, sending them both tumbling down the pillow-mountain and onto the hard, wooden floor.

After several moments of dizzying movement and various bruising bumps, the pair rolled to a stop. Groaning and shifting slightly in reaction to the aches of pain the fall had graced them, before they suddenly regained their wits and surroundings and immediately froze in place. The two teens had found themselves in quite the predicament – Marinette was sprawled dazedly atop Chat's chest, pinning the boy to the ground under her slight weight, and the pair were flushed from exertion and embarrassment leaving both with a dusting of pink across their cheeks.

Bluebell eyes met with green in a wide-eyed stare, both teens stiff and unmoving as they locked gazes with the other in panic and uncertainty.

The logical part of Marinette's brain had completely ceased to function, while the other crazy and emotional half raced a million miles an hour. Her thoughts zipped through her mind like a million out-of-control freight trains: _Oh my gosh, what is happening!? Am I seriously laying on top of_ Chat Noir?! _How did this happen?! Why did this happen!? Why isn't he moving – why aren't **I** moving!? Move, you fool!_

And yet despite her screaming mind, Marinette couldn't seem to move, and neither, it seemed, could Chat – though whether simply from physical limitation or a lack of decisive action, he didn't let on. Their breaths came out in soft pants, the warm air mingling between them and sending shivers up their spines. The air seemed charged with electricity – a strange sort of hum coating Marinette's bones and filling her ears with static. Their lips seemed magnetized, an attraction that flowed deeper than desire or even control passing between them and slowly pulling Chat and Marinette's faces closer together.

Marinette's mind felt full of cotton – thoughts faint and common sense suffocated, while sparks popped and hummed in anticipation inside her skull. Everything seemed to fade out at the edges, the only anchor between them the press of Mariette's body against his.

 _'His eyes are so intense,'_ Marinette thought faintly. _'So deep, and green, and piercing – almost like Adrien's. Wait… **Adrien!'**_

And with a snap, Marinette regained her senses and pulled back suddenly, clambering off him with flaming cheeks as guilt and embarrassment ate away at her self-esteem. Her mind screamed at her, scolding herself internally.

How could she have forgotten Adrien – the beautiful blonde who, unknowingly, held the key to her heart?! She had ignored his hold over her heart in the spur of the moment, and had almost done something stupid and regretful. Would she have regretted it? Was she even allowed to think otherwise?!

Running a hand through her bangs, the girl struggled to come up with something to say – an "I like someone else," or an apology, anything to break the flustered silence.

Chat seemed equally flustered and conflicted, a dusting of pink peeking out from beneath his mask as he rubbed the back of his neck, eyes darting around the room to focus on anything that wasn't her. The sight sent an unpleasant pang through her chest.

He cleared his throat. "Are – Are you ok, Mari?" he asked awkwardly.

Marinette swallowed thickly. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine…" she trailed off, not sure how to continue or what to do with her hands. She settled with fidgeting with them in her lap – eyes trained on her twisting fingers.

"A-Ah, well, I guess that a point or two for you, huh?" Chat said lamely, the usual confidence and smug poise missing from his tone. Marinette chuckled awkwardly in response.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Silence. Then, "Well, I should probably get going now – it's getting late, and we have homework to do," Chat stumbled, scrambling for an easy escape.

Marinette jumped at the opportunity, her frazzled mind missing Chat's slip up and bypassing the snippet of information it revealed. "Y-Yeah, sure, I have some, eh, designs to work on as well."

"Sure! Great! Then I'll, eh, see you later?" Chat asked as he stood, eyes scanning hers for confirmation.

"Yeah! Sure, I'll see you later…"

"Later! Cool. Right, ok, um… bye then." He gave an awkward wave before stumbling towards her window (tripping on a strewn pillow as he went), and slipping into the night, cheeks still coloured with the ghost of a blush.

Marinette waited in silence for a moment, before falling back onto the tall pile of pillows behind her, letting out an exasperated groan. Tikki emerged from a nearby desk drawer, face contorted in confusion and caution.

"Are you ok Marinette?" the Kwami asked softly, big blue eyes scanning the girl worriedly. Marinette couldn't bring herself to reply; her mind was still reeling with thoughts and memories of the encounter that bounced around her skull in a scrambled mess as she tried her hardest to will the colour to fade from her cheeks. She failed.

 **AN: First of all, I'd like to say a BIG thank you to my new beta reader, shamelesslyromantic, who edited this chapter and fixed all my mistakes. Big hugs for you and all your patience, this chapter sounds _so_ much better now that it's been edited. **

**Secondly, with said beta reader, my scheduled upload day may move from Saturday to Sunday or Monday (AUS time), depending on how our schedule ends up finalising to.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has followed, favourited, and reviewed this story, or even just read it! Every notification truly makes my day :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I AM ALIVE! AND I HAVE REVIVED THIS FIC ONCE MORE! :D**

 **Welp, so I know I kind of just disappeared for over a month, but I have some semi-valid reasons! I had planned to take two weeks off writing due to my school's approaching exam block and consequential need of focus for my studies, but after the term finished I still hadn't returned to writing… the reason for which being a little less excusable…**

 **I got roped into another fandom. What a surprise.**

 **I was just innocently browsing through Netflix, celebrating passing all my exams, then the next thing I know it's 3am and I've binge watched two seasons of Voltron: Legendary Defenders. I was doomed from the start. After that I was obsessing over Klance (my newest OTP. Welcome to the family, boys), and then I got major writer's block, and for that I can't really defend myself for my absence. So I'm sorry for the wait, but I'm here now with this fluffy chapter which is only as good as it is because my beta's a magic worker. Sorry guys, I swear I'll try and reassemble some semblance of a routine and do my best to stick with it.**

 **But thanks to everyone who's stuck with this fic, or those who just found it and have actually made it this far and weren't somehow turned off at some point! The fact that you're here makes me super happy :)**

 **Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Marinette couldn't help the dread she felt at the sight of the school gates looming above her. She had woken early this morning full of jittery energy, nervous as to how her peers would react to her return now that the news of her supposed relationship with Chat Noir had gone viral. She had yet to properly return to school since the announcement was made, and she hadn't a clue as to how her classmates would react when she showed up for class. Regardless, she knew was still expected to go to school, and she couldn't hide in her room forever. So, despite her apprehension on the matter, she had prepared herself that morning as best she could, and set off towards the campus before she could convince herself to do otherwise.

Yet despite her firm resolve, Marinette still walked through the college gates cautiously, head low and fingers clutching her bag straps nervously as her eyes scanned the inner courtyard with a careful gaze. Due to the ungodly hour at which she had awoken, most of Paris' people were still tucked away in bed – the recently risen sun only further accentuated the fact that Marinette was at school far earlier than necessary. This left the school blissfully empty save for the teachers preparing for the day's lessons inside, and Marinette gave a quiet sigh of relief at the small mercy. She was alone for the moment, and she was going to make the most of her solitude while she was still able.

Collapsing on one of the large stone steps leading up to the main building, Marinette took a moment to calm her nerves before turning her focus towards conducting a convincing story for her and Chat's supposed romance, as well as for their escaping disappearance the day before.

Could she get away with the excuse of a sudden, devastating cold? A dramatic case of cameras-shyness? Alien abduction? The possibilities were endless.

After roughly twenty minutes of continuous pondering in the slight morning chill, Marinette was just about ready to give up on her quest for an excuse, when the sound of a car door closing with a light slam caught her attention.

Lifting her gaze from her shoes, Marinette peered around the wall to catch sight of the new arrival, realising with no small amount of panic and fluster that the person exiting the slim black limousine was, in fact, Adrien Agreste. Straightening her posture, she whipped her head around in search of a conversation to blend into to avoid any potential awkward (on her part) conversation with the blonde, only to remember that she had been the first person to arrive at school and no one who valued a solid sleep schedule had appeared yet. Fortunately, in spite of her far-from-subtle pink jeans and the emptiness of the campus, Adrien had yet to notice her.

Upon further inspection, Marinette noticed that the boy's usually immaculate posture was slumped, feet dragging and body tilted slightly to the left, as if put off balance by the slight weight of the book bag slung over his shoulder. His gaze was unfocused and lidded with fatigue, shadows ghosting beneath his dulled emerald eyes as he struggled to keep them open and watch where he was going.

Marinette frowned at the drastic difference in Adrien's character, brows furrowing with concern as her eyes tracked his slow, stumbling trek towards a low step on the side of the stairwell adjacent to her. He dropped onto it heavily, elbows resting on his knees as he let his head fall into his hands, bag slipping off his shoulder and tumbling to the stone beside him.

It was silent for a few beats while Marinette's mind fought to catch up with the situation and decide what to do, but her concern for the boy grew too strong to ignore when he suddenly seemed to slip unconscious, teetering forward and almost face-planting into the stone before he jerked awake suddenly. The pitiful display was all she needed to solidify her resolve.

Marinette crossed the steps and descended wordlessly to his level, not entirely sure what to do or how to approach the situation. After a moment of further consideration, she simply decided to announce her presence so he wouldn't look up and think she was luring silently behind him like a creep.

"Hey…" Marinette greeted softly, wincing slightly as Adrien jumped at the sudden sound of her voice before his eyes snapped up to meet hers. His shocked and guarded expression softened considerably at the sight of her, though a strange sort of distress quickly clouded his eyes soon after. If a light blush dusted his cheeks when he met her eyes, Marinette didn't notice.

"Oh, hey Marinette, I, uh, I didn't see you there…" he greeted somewhat bashfully, averting his gaze in slight embarrassment of not noticing her earlier and being caught almost falling asleep in public. He cleared his throat. "I didn't expect anyone to be at school for a little while longer; figured that I'd be alone."

Marinette's eyes widened. "Oh! I'm sorry, I can leave if you want to be alone or – "

"Wha – no!" Adrien's cheeks warmed slightly at his sudden outburst and he ducked his head again to avoid her eyes. "No, no stay, it's ok I'm just… I didn't get too much sleep last night, that's all. But I wouldn't mind the company, if that's ok."

Marinette paused a moment, contemplating the blonde's almost vulnerable expression and quiet invitation, before sitting down beside him. Deciding to take a gamble, she reached out a tentative hand and grasped his, watching the boy for any sign of discomfort from the action. Adrien tensed at the contact for a moment, but before Marinette could begin to panic, the stiffness of his shoulders eased and he almost seemed to lean into the touch, lacing his fingers with hers and holding her hand gently. Breathing a soft sigh of relief at his acceptance of the action, Marinette relaxed her posture and joined Adrien in his silence, content to sit with him for as long as he wanted company.

She wasn't really sure what she was doing, or why holding Adrien's hand was her immediate response to his disquietude, but he seemed to appreciate the gesture and the silent offer of quiet comfort that came with it. Marinette could tell that something was bothering him – the sense of underlying distress hung heavily in the air around Adrien – and the cause of his troubles was likely what had kept him up all night. She was worried for her friend, but she knew that Adrien was never one to open up about his problems, and that pushing him would probably only drive him away. So, she resigned herself to simply sitting there, letting Adrien draw whatever comfort he could from her presence.

After some time had passed, in which Marinette had begun to zone out and bask in the warm sunlight, a sudden weight dropped atop her head. Marinette immediately stiffened at the contact, snapping back to reality with a slight squeak. Careful not to move least she disturb Adrien's head resting against her own, Marinette peeked over at the boy beside her. His body leaned against hers comfortably, head resting atop hers as a pleasant warmth radiated off him and softened the bite of the cool breeze. His breathing was steady and even, and Marinette's heart gave a sudden flutter as she realised she was close enough to smell Adrien's natural, subtle scent of mint (and was that a hint of… cheese?).

Slowly averting her eyes from Adrien's sleeping form, Marinette took in a deep breath before releasing it calmly. Right. No big deal, your big-time crush is just taking a nap pressed up beside you. Using you as a pillow. Still holding your hand. With probably the most adorable sleeping face known to man.

Nope, not a big deal. Not at all.

Keeping her eyes firmly directed straight ahead, Marinette continued to breath in and out slowly. _You're in a (fake) public relationship with Chat Noir, stop making this more difficult for yourself,_ Marinette scolded herself, trying her hardest to calm the butterflies fluttering madly in her stomach and will the blush from her cheeks.

A part of Marinette wanted desperately to run away, her daily amount of direct-Adrien-contact-tolerance being more than spent, but at the same time she hated the thought of waking the exhausted boy, knowing how little sleep he'd received. After all, what kind of friend would she be if she stopped him from getting some rest when he so obviously needed it? No, she couldn't do that to him; it wouldn't be fair, especially after he'd felt comfortable enough to fall asleep in her presence.

So, with those thoughts in mind and just a hint of self-indulgent contentment, Marinette curled closer against Adrien's side, shifting until her head laid comfortably against his shoulder with his head still resting against hers, and allowed herself to enjoy the moment of comfortable silence and fulfilled fantasies.

* * *

 **AN: No Marichat in this one, but Adrienette really needed to make a comeback, and I just couldn't help myself! I'm thinking of writing an Adrien-centric chapter next, as per my beta's recommendation, to see how he reacts to everything that's happened so far… would you guys like that? Do you want to see some more Adrienette as well? Let me know in the reviews! Ideas and prompts are the ultimate cure for writer's block, so any and all ideas are also greatly appreciated :D**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Haha so you remember last chapter when I said I'd try and reassemble an uploading routine? Yeah… so that didn't happen T.T**

 **I'm super sorry for the wait, but life has been a pain and my motivation for writing has dropped consequentially, so writing this chapter was a struggle. As such, updates are likely to come slower than the weekly updates I started out with, but I'm determined to finish this story, so rest assured!**

* * *

Adrien was pulled roughly from his warm, pleasant sleep by the sound of a loud, almost inhuman screech. Jerking awake at the sudden sound, he almost toppled over at the sudden lack of support against his left side, a disorientating wave of dizziness flooding his mind at the sudden movement. Blinking rapidly as the splotches of black danced and faded from his vision, Adrien whipped his head around, senses returning and heightening sharply as he took in his surroundings.

He was at school, he realised belatedly, and his mind began to supply him with the memories of the events leading to his current situation. Memories of sleepless nights, early starts, and sudden, overwhelming warmth and sleepiness. He didn't have much time to dwell on the realization that he had fallen asleep beside Marinette in the school caught yard – or rather, _on_ her, if their previous position and the crick in his neck were any indication – before said girl was being hurled up by the collar of her shirt by none other than a seething Chloé.

 _"You,"_ she spat, icy blue eyes staring daggers into the deeper, softer pair of Marinette's own, blown wide with surprise. "How _dare_ you try and steal my Adrikins away, you little thief!"

Adrien immediately jumped up, protectiveness flaring up inside him at the sight of Chloé taking her anger out on Marinette in his name.

"Chloé, let go!" he reprimanded, leashing his anger to deal with the situation as best he could, not wanting to create any more drama than necessary. Her eyes snapped to his, and her glare faltered a bit at the sight of him, before the indignation returned and she left Marinette go with a huff.

"Fine, but only because you asked me to," Chloé relented coyly, batting her eyelashes at Adrien and smiling sweetly before turning back to Marinette, cold glare returning. "You'd better watch it – wouldn't want your little kitty-cat to find that you're unfaithful, now do we," she hissed, so low and venomous that Adrien almost didn't pick up on the threat, before she sauntered away.

Feeling his anger simmer down as Chloé backed off, Adrien turned his eyes to the silently seething Marinette, muscles tense and eyes glaring furiously at the retreating blonde. His breath caught at the intensity of her expression, vaguely familiar yet completely foreign on the usually sweet girl's face, before he snapped out of his stupor and pushed the thoughts of cloudy recognition from his mind.

He cleared his throat.

"Hey, sorry about that. Chloé can be a little… bold sometimes." Marinette visibly started at his voice before turning to meet his gaze with significantly less heat.

"Oh, it-it's fine, you don't need to apologise!" Marinette squeaked, fingers coming up to fiddle with the strap of her purse subconsciously. He smiled slightly at the familiar habit.

"No, really, it was my fault; I didn't mean to fall asleep against you like that, and I should have been more aware of how others may perceive it. Especially since you're dating Chat Noir now."

Marinette's face went blank for a moment, before she flushed pink all the way to the tips of her ears. "O-Oh, it's fine, really, you seemed really tired and so I just thought – and Chat will be fine, I mean – um, he's cool."

 _So, the stutter returns,_ Adrien though bemusedly. He wondered again why she only ever seemed this nervous to talk to him – relaxed with even Chat Noir more so than himself – before returning focus to the conversation, realising the gap in conversation was bordering on too long.

He gave an easy smile. "Thanks for that, by the way. A cat-nap was just what I needed," he reassured, before he realised _Adrien, your Chat Noir is showing,_ and his smile froze a little.

Marinette though, to his relief, only giggled slightly, cheeks reddening further as her shoulders seemed to relax once more. "It's alright! I really didn't mind," replied Marinette, and _weird, no stutter this time._

And then Marinette was being called over by a recently-arrived Alya, waving him goodbye with a sheepish apology before descending the steps to meet her friend halfway, leaving him to stare after her and wonder until Nino found him shortly after.

 _Do cat puns cure stuttering?_

* * *

Class passed unbearably slow for Adrien. The extra sleep he'd gotten that morning did certainly help keep him awake, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't help but quickly loose interest in the lesson. His mind wandered from daydream to daydream, eyes staring unblinkingly at the whiteboard while his hand copied down the words and diagrams into his notebook subconsciously – a trick he'd picked up during slow days with Natalie. And eventually, his thoughts drifted towards Marinette.

There was a lot to ponder concerning the girl, really. Their relationship had developed quite a lot recently – or more accurately, her and Chat Noir's relationship. With the sudden change in their interaction levels and the status between them, Adrien found himself with a lot of questions regarding Marinette, though there was one that stuck out the most to him: just what did she think of Chat Noir?

It was a valid question, considering all the changes going on between them, and despite his confidence that Marinette wouldn't think lowly of him, he couldn't help the slight self-consciousness growing restless in his mind at the thought of what her opinion may be. After all, Marinette was the first person to truly get to know both Adrien and Chat Noir, save for Plagg, and the thought of her only liking one side of him had him feeling sick. He knew his anxiety was unnecessary – Marinette wouldn't have agreed to their spontaneous arrangement if she disliked him, after all – but his worries remained, silent yet ever-present in his mind. And it was these nagging thoughts of uncertainty that stole any semblance of attention he had spared to his lessons that day, especially when it was so easy to satisfy.

Like himself, just about everyone at school wanted to know everything there was to know about Marinette's relationship with the Parisian superhero, so a vast majority of his questions were already being asked by his classmates. And, really, it wasn't _his_ fault if he happened to overhear a few conversations regarding their relationship… right? After all, he was Chat Noir; a hero of Paris! It was his job to practice his detective skills, and eavesdropping was no exception. His actions were perfectly justifiable – there was not a single doubt in his mind. Or, so he told himself.

* * *

 **~ Que montage of Detective Adrien™ ~**

* * *

Lunch brought about the perfect opportunity to gather some 'research' on Marinette's opinions, Adrien decided. As soon as the bell had gone, some of Marinette's friends had immediately flocked over to her desk, and from the matching mischievous glints in their eyes, he knew exactly what their choice of topic was to be.

Adrien set about packing up his things with a slow, deliberate pace, eagerness to listen in to their conversation spiking as the topic of Marinette's "boyfriend" was teasingly addressed by a smirking Alix.

He listened as they poked and prodded, trying their hardest to bait her into spilling, but Marinette was surprisingly firm, shooting down their prying questions with amused glares and playful refusals.

"Come on girl, please? Just one little juicy detail for your best friend! You know you can't keep a secret from me for long!"

"I'm sorry Alya, but Chat and I agreed – after all the rumours surrounding us lately, we'll be risking no more gossip getting out. Not even for you," Marinette insisted, voice apologetic yet firm.

Alya sighed, frustrated, before a smirk found its way back to her face. "Alright, well will you at least tell us when you last saw him."

Adrien watched as Marinette's face lit up in a brilliant blush, colour dusting his own cheeks at the memory that was no doubt also running through her mind. Alya picked up on it immediately, teeth flashing like fangs in a triumphant grin at the crack in Marinette's defences as she and the other girl began bombarded her with questions once again with a sudden fervour.

It was like watching a pack of lions hurt down a gazelle – the chase stretching on and on until one finally cracks under pressure.

He could see Marinette's resolve weakening, just a few seconds from breaking; just a few seconds from the truth. In five, four, three, two –

"Hey man, are you coming?"

Adrien groaned internally as his attention was forced away from the impending reveal and smiled affirmatively up at Nino before him. Behind him, Marinette was beginning to ramble, a sure sign she'd soon crack.

Curse his black-cat luck.

"Yeah, I'll be just a second. You can go on without me if you want," Adrien answered with faux casualness, praying he'd take the bait and leave him to loiter at his desk for as long as he could get away with.

Unfortunately for him, Nino's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Oh no you don't, you promised you'd help me study for the chemistry quiz during lunch! I'm sorry dude, but there is no way I am failing chem, and you owe me for covering for you when you disappeared during math last week." He paused for a moment, brows drawing together in thought, before he wonder aloud, "Hey, come to think of it, you never did end up telling me where you went…"

At the mention of one of his many Akuma-related disappearing acts, Adrien snapped his full attention back to the conversation, giving up on his investigation in favour of running damage control and redirecting Nino's train of thought.

"Ah, right, I forgot all about that! Don't worry about it, I'll go over it while we eat," Adrien rushed out, stuffing the rest of his school supplies into his bag as he made a hasty retreat to the door, guiding Nino along with an arm slung around his shoulder. Nino seemed slightly confused by the sudden change in pace and attitude, but Adrien didn't give him the chance to ask about it before he was diving into a lengthy explanation of an important formula they'd covered the week before as they continued out the door and into the corridor.

Adrien continued to prattle on about various key points and relevant textbook passages mindlessly, silently mourning the loss of such a golden opportunity.

Next time. Next time for sure.

* * *

The second opportunity arose during lunch the next day and proved to be just as futile. Adrien had just settled in to eat, Nino beside him still singing his raise after getting an 95% on yesterday's chemistry pop-quiz, when a boy he'd seen once or twice before in passing walked up to Marinette and Alya, who sat chatting and eating a bench away. Adrien watched with mild interest, taking in the dark-haired boy's nervous posture – fiddling his fingers and stuttering out a greeting to the two girls, eyes on his red Converses. Curious, he listened in.

"Ah, h-hey Marinette, sorry to bother you, but I was just wondering if you were, um – if the rumours about you and Chat Noir were – I mean…"

Marinette smiled at him politely, but her eyes held question and her voice a tone of barely-detectable defensiveness. "If me and Chat are dating?"

The boy's cheeks flushed, eyes flicking up to meet hers before darting back to the ground, colour darkening. "I – uh, yeah. That…"

Adrien's brows pulled down in a frown as he continued to subtly watch the exchange.

Marinette's lips quirked up a bit at the corner, as if thinking back on an old joke. Her face softened, voice turning warm. "Yeah, we are. It's kind of hard but… we make it work." Adrien's breath caught and he froze, sandwich halted halfway to his mouth as his heart skipped a beat. Then she blinked, and the fondness was gone from her eyes with a single flick of her lashes as she seemed to come back to herself. She turned her attention back to the boy, apologising for drifting off topic and asking again if there was anything she could help him with, but by then he seemed to have gotten all the confirmation he needed and was quick to dismiss it and make a hasty retreat.

Marinette spent the rest of the day without a trace of that warm look from earlier, and Adrien spent the rest of the day trying (and failing) not to think about what that meant.

* * *

 **AN: The next chapter is almost halfway done, and I'll do my best to write as much of it as I can before I go away on holiday in a few days. Hope you guys enjoyed this, if any of you guys are still here :P**


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